Roofing removal apparatus

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a tractor having detachably secured thereto a roofing removal apparatus, said apparatus comprising a frame having slidable guide rods carrying a cutting head forwardly of said apparatus and a vertically disposed eccentric driving shaft carried by said apparatus and driven by said tractor, said driving shaft having a connecting rod connecting said cutting head thereto for reciprocating action of said cutting head.

United States Patent Nieman Dec. 18, 1973 ROOFING REMOVAL APPARATUS [76]Inventor: John J. Nieman, 212 E. Main St., pmnay :""g Purse New Prague,Minn. 56071 Anomey e regory 22 Filed: Jul 28 1972 1 57 ABSTRACT 21 A I.No.: 1 pp This invention relates to a tractor having detachably securedthereto aroofing removal apparatus, said ap- U-S. CI- paratus comprisinga frame having slidable guide rods carrying a head forwardly of Saidapparatus Field of Search and a verti ally disposed eccentric drivingshaft car ried by said apparatus and driven by said tractor, said [56]References cued driving shaft having a connecting rod connecting saidUNITED STATES PATENTS cutting head thereto for reciprocating action ofsaid 3,542,433 11/1970 Probst 299/37 Cutting head- 3,25l,629 /l966Cawley 299/37 3,563,608 2/|97| Crispino 299/37 2 Clams 4 D'awmg Flgures67 l a3 69 as: 27

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g 1 u m \7\\\\ Y 53 ROOFING REMOVAL APPARATUS SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION The type of roofing for removal made reference to hereinis commercial roofing made up of alternate layers of tar and felt withan overlay of gravel disposed on a substantially flat roofing surface.The removal of this type of roofing for repair or for replacement is alaborious and time consuming job.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide a sturdy simplyconstructed apparatus for the removal of commercial roofing.

It is another object of this invention to provide a commercial typeroofing removing apparatus arranged and constructed for attachment to acommonly used type of a walking tractor.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a roofing removalapparatus having a thrust assembly operated by a tractor and having saidthrust assembly include a roofing removal cutting head member said headmember bearing the forward weight of said tractor in undercutting saidroofing.

More generally stated, it is an object of this invention to provide aroofing removal apparatus comprising a walking tractor, a thrustassembly attached to said tractor, said thrust assembly including atapered toothed cutting head member for undercutting or removing roofingmaterial, means guiding said head member in operation and means drivenby said tractor reciprocating said head member.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be setforth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing phantom portions thereof in dottedline;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation with a phantom portion thereof shownin dotted line and a portion thereof being broken away;

FIG. 3 is a broken bottom plan view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 asindicated; and

FIG. 4 is a broken view in longitudinal vertical section taken on line44 of FIG. 3 as indicated.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, theapparatus herein is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10.Comprising a portion of said apparatus is a walking tractor 12 asrepresentative of a commonly used type of a walking tractor whichconsists generally of a frame having side members 15 and 16 supported bywheels 19 and having mounted thereon a motor or engine 20 and inconnection therewith is a pair of handles 22.

Upstanding from the forward end portions of said frame members 15 and 16are plate members 25 of which only one is shown in FIG. 2. Said platemembers have vertically spaced apertures 26 which will be furtherdescribed.

The structure for roofing removal which comprises the essential subjectmatter of the invention herein and which may be regarded as anattachment to said tractor is indicated generally as thrust assembly 27and is hereinafter further described.

Extending forwardly of said members 25 and being secured respectivelythereto through an aligned pair of said apertures 26 by bolts 30 arerelatively flat frame members 28 and 29 being held in transverselyspaced relation by longitudinally spaced underlying cross members 33, 34and 35.

Secured to the lower inner side portions of said frame members as bywelding are a pair of open ended elongated tubular or channel members 38and 39.

A pair of guide rod members 42 and 43 are respectively movably disposedwithin said channel members. Carried by said rods at their forward outerends as by being welded thereto is a thrust member 46 comprising atapered vertically angled cutting head member 48 having an underlyingcross plate member 50 and having a toothed forward end portion 51 formedinto a plurality of elongated tapered teeth 52 forming a sharp leadingedge 53. It will be noted in FIGS. 2 and 4 that said cutting head member48 is designed and arranged to have its toothed portion positioned to beangled downwardly sufficiently to have only its leading toothed edgeportions .53 engaging the roof or working surface and forming theforward support for the entire apparatus. The apparatus thus will besupported by said wheels 19 and said leading edges 53. The entireforward weight of the apparatus provides the weight to hold the cuttinghead 48 in a downward roofing engaging operating position.

Mounted between said frame members 28 and 29 secured thereto as by boltsor as by welding and upstanding therefrom is a housing 60 having sidewalls 61 and 62, a top wall 63 having an opening therein to accommodatea shaft to be disposed therethrough and a front wall 64 having a centralopening 65.

Carried by said housing and secured thereto as by bolts is a gear box 67of conventional structure and running thereto from said engine 20 is apower take-off or drive shaft 69 here shown having a housing thereabout.Driven by said shaft 69 through saidgear box is a vertical shaft 72journaled in said housing 60 and carrying at its lower end portion asprocket 77.

Extending forwardly of said front wall 64 from the upper and lowerportions thereof are vertically spaced bearing blocks and 81. Joumaledin said blocks is a vertical eccentric shaft 83 carrying intermediatesaid bearing blocks a sprocket 84 in alignment with said sprocket 77 andpassing over said sprockets is a chain 86.

Said shaft 83 has its eccentric portion extending below said bearingblock 81 formed as a cam head or crank 87 which portion is disposedwithin a conventional bearing structure 88 which is mounted within thehub or pitman 89 or an eccentric arm or connecting rod 90 which rodextends forwardly being connected at its forward end to a universal balljoint 93 which is secured to a plate member 97 carried by the crossmember 50 of said cutting head member 48.

Brace members 98 and 99 extend from said frame members 28 and 29 to saidmembers 25 as indicated with respect to the member 99 in FIG. 2.

A pair of vertical support members 100 and 101 extend upwardly from saidframe members 28 and 29 to support an upwardly inclined cover plate ordeflection member 103 extending upwardly from the forward tapered endportions of said plate members 28 and 29 being secured thereto by bolts105.

OPERATION The tractor 12 will be operated in a conventional to drive thethrust assembly for the removal of roofing material.

The wheels 19 provide one point of support for the tractor and theweight of the forward portion of the tractor and of the thrust assemblyis born by the leading edge portion 53 of the cutting member 48 toprovide the weight to hold said head member downward in its operatingposition. The power take-off 69 by means of the operatively connectedshafts 72 and 83 and by means of the cam head or crank 87 orbits theconnecting arm 90 which in turn reciprocates the cutting head member 48.The rods 42 and 43 slidably disposed in said channel members 38 and 39serve to guide said cutting head member 48 in a planar operatingposition permitting said member to move in a straight forward andrearward motion. Hence the cutting head member 48 is reciprocatedforwardly along a roof surface to undercut and remove the roofingmaterial.

The efforts of the operator are reduced to guiding or steering theapparatus and he is not required to exert himself to hold the cuttinghead member downwardly in operating position. The weight of the tractorand of the thrust assembly is sufficient to hold said head member 48 inits operating position undercutting and freeing said roofing materialand in raising the same upwardly to have it move upwardly of said coverplate member 103 and said material then may be pushed off by theoperator as loose material. The loose roofing material will beseparately handled. The phrase removal of roofing material as usedherein refers to cutting roofing material free from the underlying roofstructure.

This is a simply and sturdily constructed apparatus having a powerfulforward thrust applied to the cutting head member 48 and the results ofthe apparatus in actual operation have been very successful in the rapidand efficient removal of roofing material and in effecting substantialsavings in the cost of doing the work.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made inform, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention herein which, generallystated, consists in an apparatus capable of carrying out the objectsabove set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed anddefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is l. A roofing material removing apparatus inconnection with a tractor having a power take-off, having in combinationa supporting structure comprising a pair of spaced frame membersdetachably secured to said tractor and extending forwardly thereof, v apair of substantially horizontally disposed guide rod members slidablycarried by said frame members and extending forwardly thereof, a cuttinghead member carried by said guide rod members, a housing structurecarried by said frame member supporting a gear box, said gear box havingsaid power take-off connected thereto, a stub shaft depending from saidhousing, a pair of vertically spaced bearing blocks carried by saidhousing forwardly of said shaft, an eccentric shaft journaled in saidbearing blocks, driving means connecting said stub shaft and saideccentric shaft, and a connecting rod connecting said eccentric shaftand said cutting head. 2. The structure set forth in claim 1, includinga pair of vertical plate members carried by said supporting structure,said frame members being secured to said plate members, and said platemembers as having vertically spaced apertures therein through which saidframe members are secured for vertical adjustment of the height of theadjacent ends of said frame members to adjust the angular position ofthe cutting head to the surface being worked upon.

1. A roofing material removing apparatus in connection with a tractorhaving a power take-off, having in combination a supporting structurecomprising a pair of spaced frame members detachably secured to saidtractor and extending forwardly thereof, a pair of substantiallyhorizontally disposed guide rod members slidably carried by said framemembers and extending forwardly thereof, a cutting head member carriedby said guide rod members, a housing structure carried by said framemember supporting a gear box, said gear box having said power take-offconnected thereto, a stub shaft depending from said housing, a pair ofvertically spaced bearing blocks carried by said housing forwardly ofsaid shaft, an eccentric shaft journaled in said bearing blocks, drivingmeans connecting said stub shaft and said eccentric shaft, and aconnecting rod connecting said eccentric shaft and said cutting head. 2.The structure set forth in claim 1, including a pair of vertical platemembers carried by said supporting structure, said frame members beingsecured to said plate members, and said plate members as havingvertically spaced apertures therein through which said frame members aresecured for vertical adjustment of the height of the adjacent ends ofsaid frame members to adjust the angular position of the cutting head tothe surface being worked upon.